The Drive

The Drive is live from Sportsbook Bar and Grill in Parker. Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil preview the massive AFC championship game between the Broncos and Patriots this upcoming weekend. Zach shares the history of the Broncos impressive record when hosting playoff games and conference championship games in general. The guys emphasis how important Nik Bonitto will be in this matchup going against a rookie left tackle. We hear from Vance Joseph and his thoughts on Bonitto taking his game to the next level by creating turnovers. Who will be the Broncos' "x-factor" on Sunday? Will Evan Engram finally have a breakout game? We hear from Drake Maye and his thoughts on the Broncos home crowd noise and his turnovers the past two weeks. 

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil give Broncos Country reasons to be optimistic with Jarrett Stidham starting for the Broncos. Zach shares all the times in NFL history that a backup quarterback has led their team to the Super Bowl and the crazy coincidence that the Broncos have never had a quarterback start an AFC championship that was drafted by the team. Phil emphasizes how important this game will be for Stidham's career to determine if he gets a shot at being a starter or goes on to be a career backup. We go "behind enemy lines" and welcome Morey Hershgordon, sports anchor at 7 News in Boston, to the show to discuss how seriously the Patriots are taking Jarrett Stidham, how important the Patriots defense is to their success, and much more. We react to Peyton Manning's time on the morning show earlier today and his thoughts on Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix. We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com's Will Petersen joining the show to discuss the "slight" the Patriots are taking to Sean Payton saying Broncos' fans will have two weeks to rest after the game this upcoming weekend. 

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach, Phil and the guys compete in our weekly trivia competition against the morning show. Can we keep up our hot streak after going 4-0 last week and beating the morning show two weeks in a row? We dive into the Patriots daunting defense that might not be getting enough credit. Zach shares the deep numbers on the Patriots defense and Phil explains how important it will be to keep the Patriots pass rush away from Jarrett Stidham. Who has the coaching edge between Mike Vrabel and Sean Payton? We hear from Sean Payton and his thoughts on the toughness Vrabel brings to organizations. Will the Broncos be able to match the Patriots in the run game without Bo Nix? Will Sean Payton commit to the run game after abandoning it for most of last week's game?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil give Broncos Country reasons to be optimistic with Jarrett Stidham starting for the Broncos. Zach shares all the times in NFL history that a backup quarterback has led their team to the Super Bowl and how long it's been since Stidham last threw a pass in the NFL. Which situation in NFL history most closely resembles what the Broncos are attempting to do on Sunday? We hear from Jarrett Stidham and his thoughts on starting on Sunday. We debate if there would be a quarterback controversy in Denver if Stidham is able to lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory. Today's "Three Count" includes the NFL history of a home team being 4+ point underdogs, the Avalanche losing 2-1 in a shootout last night, and Jesse Mintor getting hired to be the next head coach of the Ravens. We react to Peyton Manning's time on the morning show earlier today and his thoughts on Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover. The guys discuss if we are delusional for believing in Jarrett Stidham and the Broncos this weekend when the rest of the country thinks the Patriots will win. Zach and Phil dive into the Patriots daunting defense that might not be getting enough credit. Phil explains how this will be the most balanced team the Broncos have faced and Zach shares the deep numbers on the Patriots defense. Who has the coaching edge between Mike Vrabel and Sean Payton? We hear from Sean Payton and his thoughts on the toughness Vrabel brings to organizations. Will the Broncos be able to match the Patriots in the run game without Bo Nix? Will Sean Payton commit to the run game after abandoning it for most of last week's game?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to Jarrett Stidham's first press conference since being announced as the Broncos starting quarterback this upcoming weekend. What were Stidham's comments on Broncos Country embracing him in this unique situation, the challenge of getting up to speed, and more. We hear from Sean Payton on what made him like Stidham so much and be so aggressive bringing him to Denver. How will Stidham balance playing free but not wanting to make mistakes? How will the Broncos offense look different with Jarrett Stidham in place of Bo Nix at the helm? We react to ESPN's Mel Kiper's mock draft which has the Broncos selecting a defensive tackle in the first round at pick number 30. We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com's Will Petersen joining the show to listen to a local artists song on Jarrett Stidham stepping into the QB1 role. 

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate if Ja'Quan McMillian became a Broncos legend with his interception. What should McMillian's interception be nicknamed in Denver sports history? We debate if the pressure has shifted to Vance Joseph and the Broncos defense with Bo Nix's injury. Does the Broncos defense need to get back to their dominant ways to give the Broncos a chance to win? Will Vance be the "fall guy" if the Broncos fall short on Sunday? We dive into Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and what kind of threat he presents to the Broncos. How have Maye's numbers fared vs the Texans and Chargers in the playoffs? Is there a realistic chance JK Dobbins returns to the Broncos for the AFC championship after he was seen participating at Broncos practice today? We react to Pat Bryant and Luke Wattenberg, also returning to Broncos practice today. What did Sean Payton have to say about Jarrett Stidham and the speed of the game after not playing all season? 

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the upcoming AFC championship game between the Broncos and Patriots. How will the Broncos offense look different with Jarrett Stidham in place of Bo Nix? We hear from Alex Smith and his optimism for the Broncos based on Sean Payton's history of winning with backup quarterbacks. Did Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams take a shot at Jarrett Stidham when saying he doesn't know anything about Stidham? We have breaking news from Broncos practice as JK Dobbins participated in practice today. Does this mean we should expect Dobbins to play this weekend in the AFC championship? Today's "Three Count" features reaction to ESPN's Mel Kiper's mock draft which has the Broncos selecting a defensive tackle in the first round at pick number 30 and the dysfunction in the Bills organization with their owner saying their GM didn't want to take a player in the draft that is currently on their roster. We react to the University of Colorado's schedule officially being announced today. 

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover. The guys discuss if this will be a week where Evan Engram breaks out with big production and how many pass attempts they are expecting from Jarrett Stidham. Zach and Phil debate if the pressure has shifted to Vance Joseph and the Broncos defense with Bo Nix's injury. Does the Broncos defense need to get back to their dominant ways to give the Broncos a chance to win? Will Vance be the "fall guy" if the Broncos fall short on Sunday? We dive into Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and what kind of threat he presents to the Broncos. How have Maye's numbers fared vs the Texans and Chargers in the playoffs? We react to the Nuggets falling to the Lakers on national television last night. Will we see more teams adjust the way the Lakers did and sell out to stop Jamal Murray and make the "others" beat them while Jokic is sidelined with an injury?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate if Bo Nix wants to see the Broncos go win the Super Bowl without him. We hear from Drew Bledsoe and his emotions after Tom Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl and debate if Nix could have a similar feeling. How realistic is a JK Dobbins return to the Broncos this postseason? The guys answer how they would act in this situation if they were Dobbins and debating coming back to play and risk further injury or go into the offseason fully healthy to sign a new contract. What were the most underrated but impactful plays in the Broncos win on Saturday? We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com's Will Petersen joining the show to debate if JK Dobbins should rush back and risk injury to participate in the Super Bowl if the Broncos make it that far.